Crimean Tatar Mejlis calling on residents to boycott referendum

March 6 2014, 18:18

Crimean TatarsMejlis of the Crimean Tatars has urged the residents of the peninsula to boycott the referendum scheduled for March 16, Mejlis Chairman Refat Chubarov said.

"The Mejlis of the Crimean Tatars does not recognize this referendum. Accordingly, it calls on all residents of Crimea, regardless of their ethnicity, to completely boycott all stages of the preparation for, as well as the voting on the day of the referendum," he said on the air of the ATR TV Channel on Thursday.

Chubarov explained that this decision was made on the eve of a meeting of Mejlis before the Crimean parliament moved the date of the referendum.

"At a time when there are troops on the streets, when there is complete lawlessness, in the absence of legislation, the declaration of any referendum is an act aimed at further destabilizing the situation in Crimea," he said.